Neglected Warnings
by perspectivesinpaper
Summary: "Hey, tell her you're sorry." "What for" "You'll find out." Four years ago Nick believed that his future self told him that one day he'll do something he'd need to apologize to Jess for. Now he realizes that his love for her blinded him to everything else and the little things became falling through the cracks until all he had was a big mess underneath his feet. NxJ
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own New Girl, any of its episodes, or any of its character**

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_"Hey, tell her you're sorry."_

_"What for"_

_"You'll find out._

_"I mean I'm sure I did something stupid, but what did I do?"_

_"Just tell her you're sorry."_

_"What did I do?"_

_"You did something stupid, now tell her you're sorry."_

_Season 2 Episode 2: Katie_

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**March 9, 2017**

"Shit." Schmidt murmured as he opened the front door. He turned around and called out to his fiance, immediately taking the sobbing girl out of the hallway and into his arms.

"Oh god, Schmidt. I-I can't…He… H-H-He…" He took note of her hair matted at her face, her bright eyes greatly streaked with red and shimmering with tears, any trace of his former perky roommate gone.

"Jess?" At the sound of her name, the girl released herself from Schmidt's hold and ran towards her best friend.

The two shared panicked glances, neither knowing what to do. Jess shook in Cece's arms, words falling along with the gasping breaths passing through her lips.

"I gotta go check on Nick." Schmidt's panicked eyes met Cece's as Jess' sobbing grew in volume at the name. He grabbed his keys as Cece gave him a hesitant nod, her eyes wide with worry as her arms tightened around the crying girl.

He closed the door behind him, sprinting towards the elevator to the garage, his grip on his keys tightening in anxiety. He quickly started up his car and pulled into the L.A. traffic. His fingers drummed impatiently at the steering wheel as the possibilities of what could have happened passed through his mind but none of them really matching up to the reality that faced him as he opened the door with his key.

The first thing that hit him was the strong smell of alcohol. Schmidt stood, dumbfounded at the sight before him. There were shattered glass scattered next to him, the mouth of a tall bottle giving an indication of what it was. The gentle vibration of the phone in his pocket brought him out of his reverie. He tore his eyes away from the slumped figure of his best friend amidst a pile of debris and glanced at the illuminated screen of his phone.

_Cece_  
_Text Message_

He opened the message; the words biting.

I'm going to kill him.

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**So I'm just sitting here trying to put my thoughts into words and thought about going after a multichapter for once. Now there's just the haunting dread about whether or not people would actually want to endure my thoughts for an extended period of time. **

**Let me know your thoughts?**


	2. Chapter 1

**In this parallel New Girl universe, anything past season 3 episode 2 did not happen.**

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**November 15, 2014**

"I really hate you sometimes." Jess mumbled as she tripped over another pavement crack.

It was a relatively quiet night, the stars, hardly visible, waned under the bright light of the full moon. The only sounds were the rustling of paper from the scattered trash and the footsteps of the couple.

"No you don't." Nick laughed as he wrapped an arm around her waist, catching her before she hit the ground.

"This isn't funny!" She shouted as she tried to steady herself before continuing down the sidewalk.

"Jess, I don't think I've ever seen you this drunk ever since that night in the cabin."

"This is your fault, Nick. You make such tasty drinks. It doesn't even taste like it has alcohol in it." Jess slurred as they tried to continue onto their journey.

Jess decided to go on a slower pace, keeping a close eye at the pavement that she was now convinced was out to get her.

"Hurry up Jess, I'm freezing my ass off here." Nick groaned as he placed his hands within his jacket pocket trying to keep it warm. What he hoped was going to be a silent, sobering walk home turned out to be longer than he expected.

"This isn't as easy as it looks!" Jess mumbled.

"Jess one year olds can walk better than you." He chuckled as he reached out and steered her away from the light post that she was beginning to veer towards.

"Gahh!" Jess exclaimed angrily as she yanked her arm from Nick's hold and wobbily stormed off.

"Jess, come on."

"No you're mocking me." Nick sprinted towards the huffing girl, being able to catch up to her easily considering that she was still incapable of walking a straight line. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him, worrying for a second at the slight tinge of green under her pale complexion.

Nick sighed as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear. He ran his fingers lightly down her cheekbones and kissed her temple, the combined feeling making her eyes flutter shut. "I'm sorry." He whispered, his warm breath caressing her face. He took a deep breath, letting the smell of her body wash and alcohol intoxicate him. "You're adorable when you're drunk."

A smile broke out of Jess's face at his words. "Fine you're forgiven."

"Now, hop on." Nick turned around and bent his knees, catching Jess off guard.

"What?"

"We're never going to get home at this rate and frankly I'm too cold for a night stroll. So hop on." He reached an arm back and grabbed one of her legs, tugging her closer to him.

A wide smile broke on Jess face as she placed her legs on either side of Nick, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck. He stood up, making sure that he has a good grip on her or else she would never let him live it down. He took a deep breath reveling in the warmth of her body radiating through his back before continuing on with their journey.

They ventured on in silence for a few minutes before Jess let out a large yawn.

"Go to sleep, Jess." Nick chuckled. "We're almost there."

She rested her head on Nick's shoulder, leaving a soft kiss at the base of his neck before letting her eyes start to close. "I love you, Nick."

**February 24, 2017**

The bar was the same it has always been, although more packed now than it used to be. Even though times have changed, Jess, Nick, Schmidt, and Winston having abandoned the loft, it has always remained a constant hangout as a means to keep in touch with the others. Sometime over the last few years the bar has become exceedingly popular, due to some TV Show that featured it where the main characters seemed to frequent it.

Jess eyed the dimmed room, the boisterous talking of the other tenants and the loud clinking of glass barely registering in her head until she zeroed in on them. Winston and Schmidt were talking animatedly between themselves, perched on bar stools as Nick flittered through their conversation while mixing the remainder of the customer's drinks. She and Cece stayed at the booth, both too worn to go and endure the male bonding that was going on.

Jess watched as Nick effortlessly talked to his former roommates. His words weren't forced or agitated as they usually were with her nowadays.

She watched as Nick interacted with Shane behind the bar as he filled out drink orders, his laugh resonating loudly throughout the room, an easy smile plastered across his face, genuine and bright. His hand brushing hers briefly as he passed her the bottle of Patron. Jess took a sharp breath at the action, trying to remember the last time that he had touched her intimately, his fingers barely dancing on her skin.

"Jess are you alright?" Cece whispered as she took note of the pained look on her best friend's face.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I've just been feeling off lately." Jess's fingers lightly brushed over her temple. She reached behind her head and tugged on the hair tie letting her hair fall around her face, giving her scalp a break.

"God I don't understand how you can stand to be around all of those germ infested kids all day." Cece rolled her eyes. "You've been sick for the last couple of weeks."

"Oh come on you spend your day around a 'germ infested' kid" Jess let out a soft smile at her best friend's splitting smile at the mention of her daughter, Claire. She was the unexpected miracle within the group, a bright eyed little ray of sunshine.

"Jess, Schmidt is her father. We took all the necessary precautions early on." Both girls chuckled minding Schmidt's neurosis concerning germs and bacteria.

"But really, Cece. How are you two, ahem, three doing?"

"It's been different. Sometimes I don't even know how how I get through the day. I mean Schmidt himself is a baby but with Claire too..." Cece twirled the straw of her iced tea, a lingering smile on her face. "But she's mine Jess. Mine. Sometimes I'm still scared that I'll wake up and find out that she was just a dream. Suddenly problems don't seem so big anymore whenever I see her smile."

Cece's eyes softened throughout her speech, her content happiness giving her a faint glow. Jess appraised her silently, not wanting to break her best friend's happy train of thought, but apparently her stomach was not willing to cooperate with her today. She grasped at her throat when a sudden bout of nausea started to creep its way up her esophagus.

"Jess are you sure you're okay?" Jess nodded, her watery eyes trying to convey to her best friend that she was fine. Cece held her hand, waiting for the nausea to abate.

"I...I think I might just go home. I'm sorry Cece. I know we haven't been hanging out a lot lately and especially with Claire..." Jess slowly stood up as she reached for her coat and purse. She glanced guiltily at Cece's worried face. Tonight was supposed to be a fun night to unwind between the group of friends.

"Hey its okay. We should have lunch soon." Cece placed a reassuring hand on Jess arm as the two walked towards the bar.

"Yeah" Jess whispered as she walked towards where Nick was attending to a group of girls, one of whom apparently just turned 21. "Nick I'm going to head home, I'm not feeling so well."

A crease formed in his brow, his carefree attitude from earlier flying out of the window. "I'll take you home."

"Nick, no. It's not a big deal." Jess ducked her head, avoiding his penetrating gaze. "You don't have to..."

Nick sighed heavily, suddenly feeling a bout of aggravation. "Jess don't be stupid. Come on."

Jess walked to the group and hugged Winston and Schmidt goodbye and kissing Cece's cheek, making promises as to the next time they were all to get together again, as she waited for Nick to come out of the back room with his jacket and keys.

Jess fidgeted with the hem of her dress at the tense silence within the car, her hair shielding her face from his questioning eyes as she kept hers trained to her hands as the flashing lights from the passing buildings illuminated them on her lap. The car was silent, filled with unspoken words and questions.

She wanted to ask him so many questions. _What did you guys talk about at the bar? What made you smile so much? What did Shane say that made you laugh so hard? Maybe I can say it too. If I did would you laugh just the same? _

Jess bit her lip to keep these words from escaping. Communication never used to be a problem between them. They were always interacting, whether it was by simple words in passing or shouted arguments over something trivial.

It wasn't always like this.

Jess jumped out the second Nick put the car in park, rushing to be in the comfort that can be provided by a locked bathroom door before letting the sadness overtake her. She leaned against the door with a hand on her mouth, hoping to muffle the sobs that were escaping her, lest that Nick walk into their bedroom. She couldn't take the silence between them anymore. How much longer would she be able to hold on?

Methodically she began her nightly routine, wanting nothing more than to be at the safety of her and Nick's bed. She closed her eyes and inhaled his musky scent from his pillow, with her eyes closed she could pretend that everything was the way it used to be between them.

Silence, to Jess, used to be an indicator of peace. But now, as silence surrounds her, it brings forth the unwelcome truth that she was indeed alone.

Outside, Nick sat in the car for a moment longer, his hands tugging forcefully at his hair.

This used to be so easy.

**March 10, 2017**

Cece sighed deeply as she ran her fingers through her best friend's hair, Jess finally succumbed to sleep's calling roughly an hour prior having cried out everything within her. It took a lot of coaxing for Jess to finally reveal the occurrences that led to her showing up at Cece's front door, opening the doors to so many repressed thoughts and feelings and so much more to try and get her to lay down and get some rest.

The soft rays of the early morning sun peeking through the curtains and landing on the soft white carpet. She snuggled closer to her best friend, resting her forehead at Jess' shoulder as they lay under the covers on the large bed in the master's suite, hiding the tears slowly falling from her eyes from the world. She tightened her arms around Jess's sleeping form and tried to muffle her sobs at Jess's shirt.

All of the emotions that she suppressed to be the stronger of them two just poured out of her. How Jess managed to hold it all in her, Cece could not figure out. She knew she had to be there for Jess last night, but right now, she needed to unleash the accumulation of Jess's grief and pain that she's absorbed in one night.

She couldn't believe that all of this has been happening right under nose. She knew that Jess has been off for the last couple of weeks but she never knew that things would lead to this.

"I'm so sorry, Jess" Cece whispered into her shoulder.

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**Holy crap you guys. Can I just say that you all are awesome? I was shocked at the amount of responses that I received urging me to continue on with the story. Just wow. **

**Have you guys any guesses as to what happened to the two?**

**Comments? Concerns? Reviews?**


	3. Chapter 2

**As I was doing research I found out that the owner of the bar Nick works on is named Clyde Morgan. Huh who knew. Or well he's Nick's supervisor but since the name of the bar is Clyde's I'm going with my assumption.**

**Does anyone watch Bones? They just put the 8th season on Netflix and I didn't think it was possible until I watched the 9/11 tribute episode that they did but I cried during that whole of that 45 minute episode. Even if you don't watch the show you should check it out. It's just wonderful.**

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**December 25, 2015**

"He loves you a lot you know." Bonnie chuckled as she handed Jess a cup of hot chocolate.

"Well I love him too, Bonnie." Jess smiled at Nick over the rim of her cup, catching his eye for a brief second, as she leaned back into the cool window.

"I know, Jess. I don't think I could have found a better match for my son if I tried." Bonnie stood across from Jess at the other end of the window, turning her head to look at the heavily falling snow outside the window.

"You're just saying that." Jess blushed into her cup.

"Look at him, Jess. He can't even stand being apart from you." Bonnie pointed at Nick who was talking to his brother, his eyes darting towards his girlfriend every few seconds. Upon seeing his mother there with Jess his eyes widened, wondering what on earth could they be talking about.

"It's so nice seeing him happy like this. He's always so serious." Bonnie tutted. "You do that to him. So thank you."

"It's my pleasure. It really is Bonnie." it was within the silence that followed when Jess realized how bad that sounded. "Crap, not like that! I mean yeah...that too...but...no...I mean...ugh!"

Bonnie's loud laughter rang across the room as Jess ducked her head, letting her hair cover her face. Conversation stopped within the space at the sudden outburst, leaving a very confused and awkward silence and also giving Nick the opportunity to get away from his brother.

"So what are my two girls talking about?" Nick gave a pointed glance at his mother as he wrapped an arm around Jess's waist as conversation resumed throughout the room.

"Just the wonderful things in life." Bonnie chuckled as Jess's face turned a deeper shade of red.

Nick rolled his eyes as he kissed Jess's cheek. He always loved it whenever Jess became flustered.

"So what were you two talking about that's got you all flustered?" Nick grinned as he rested his cheek against hers, reveling in the warmth.

"You know...stocks...the market…" Jess stared up into the ceiling, not letting Nick's proximity to her cloud her brain and judgement.

"Jess, c'mon. What do you even know about the market?" Nick buried his head into Jess's neck letting his hands roam innocently up and down her sides, brushing the underside of her breast, making her shiver. He could tell that her defenses were slowly lowering.

Jess closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, her mind going blank. "I might have conveyed to your mother that you are good in bed."

"What?" Nick's head snapped up, barely missing Jess's chin and giving her another chin shiner, laughter coming out of him in waves.

"Damnit! How do you do that?" Jess glared at Nick embarrassingly, her mouth forming into an angry pout.

"I can't believe that you were talking to my mother, my mother, about how I am in bed." Nick's amused eyes met Jess's angry and embarrassed ones, her red cheeks making her eyes seem bluer than they usually were, knocking Nick temporarily off kilter.

"But if it helps, I think you're good in bed too." Nick whispered as he bent down to kiss Jess's nose, making her smile.

Bonnie looked adoringly at the couple, remembering what it felt like to be so deep in love like they obviously were. They didn't even notice her walk away from the them, who both now had their foreheads resting against each other's with a lovestruck smile on their faces.

She didn't lie when she told Jess that there's nobody else that is better suited for her son.

**February 25, 2017**

Shane stood by the bar, watching Nick take inventory of the alcohol they had before happy hour. She wanted to check up on Nick after he left so abruptly the night before and to tell him how the rest of the night went. "How is she doing?"

"She was running a light fever last night but she left the house before I woke up." Nick remembered walking into their apartment, finding that Jess had already fallen asleep. He changed and lay down next to her, and wondered what was going on inside that head of hers. He kissed her forehead, feeling the slight warmth there, his hand gently stroked her cheek. He hated seeing her sick.

He zeroed back in on the present to Shane looking at him strangely. He cleared his throat. "Thanks for coming in last night Shane. We were understaffed and if you weren't there I wouldn't have been able to leave."

"It's not problem, I kind of miss working here. I've gotten rather attached and apparently so have you. I heard from the rest of the staff that you barely ever leave this place."

"Just getting used to the new job. I mean wow. We've got so much more people coming here now every night and it's just a lot." Shane sat at one of the barstools, placing her purse at the barstool next to her. She remembered the stress of being the manager at the bar. It didn't seem so bad then but the hours began to get to her, and their customers then didn't even come close to the amount of people that the club was getting now.

She nodded with understanding, giving Nick a smile. "But hey the pay isn't half bad."

"It's ridiculous! I feel like I was being underpaid when I was just the bartender." Nick laughed as he went back to taking inventory of the bottles that they had on hand.

"Well I'm sure you and Jess are enjoying the benefits of it." Nick sighed at Shane's comment.

"Actually we haven't seen much of each other ever since I got the new job. I mean like I said it was a lot to manage. With the amount of time I spend here when I get home she's already sleeping and when I wake up she's gone. It's not easy to find some free time in between." He rubbed a tired hand at his face.

"Yikes" Shane gave Nick a pitiful glance.

"I know, and since Clyde is thinking of moving on from this place its like he just dumped most of the stuff on me." Nick muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Ouch man." Shane winced.

"Tell me about it. But I don't know. I think it's good practice. I mean I was even thinking about buying this place once he's going to retire or something you know." Nick put his clipboard down, gazing absently at a spot on the wall.

"Looks like you've got your future figured out."

Nick chuckled darkly, right now his future couldn't even look him in the eye. "Let's just hope that things play out that way."

**March 10, 2017**

"Damnit Nick." Both men were leaning against the far wall of the apartment, facing the windows, watching the sky slowly get tinged with yellow.

After receiving Cece's text message Schmidt promptly went to his best friend's aid, pushing him away from the debris. He tried his best to clean up the mess cutting his thumb at a shard of shattered glass as he kept a close eye on Nick in case he had the urge to cause more damage to the furniture.

"I know." Nick tugged at his hair, halfheartedly expecting all of his hair to fall out with the amount of pulling it's been enduring for the last couple hours.

"How did this even...?"

"I don't know Schmidt! She just got sick out of nowhere and...god we didn't even..."

Schmidt wrapped his arms around Nick, letting him vent into his favorite cashmere cardigan.

"I need to make this right. I have to." Nick gazed determinedly at the gentle rays of dawn. "I can't be without her."

"I know you will, bro. But you need to think it through, get a plan. You need to know what you have to say and do. You can't wing it anymore Nick. Look at what happened." Schmidt gestured at the mess around them.

"I was going to propose to her last night." Schmidt's head whipped around at his best friend's whispered words.

"What?"

"Well before all this shit happened anyways. I got Bob to cover for me, I was going to take her to dinner to make up for not being home lately. I finally got enough money to get a ring. But now…"

"Shit…"

"Tell me about it." No words were said after that, both men basking in the gravity of the situation.

"You'll get her back, bro. I know it." Schmidt said as confidently as he could. His eyes were drawn towards the large wall clock opposite them, making him sigh.

"Hey bro, I've got to go. It's almost 8 in the morning and…"

"Yeah, you should get back home to your family." Nick started to stand, pondering his next move. His eyes darted around the room. Schmidt was right, he couldn't just come to her and let his temper run wild.

"You know I'd stay here with you if I could man. You're my bro. My mans." Even Nick had to let a small chuckle go at Schmidt's words.

"I know Schmidt. And I don't need a babysitter. I'll be fine." Nick started to dust of his pants and held his hand out to Schmidt to help him up.

"Are you sure?" Schmidt took his hand and used it to get himself up, making sure that his pants weren't creased too badly.

"I'm sure. Now go!" Schmidt gave his best friend a sad smile, placing his hand on his shoulder, hoping that Nick could feel the support that he has for him before turning towards the front door.

"See you bro. Just call whenever you need me." After one last look at Nick's worn face and the state of the living room he shut the front door.

Schmidt made his way to his car, running a weary hand across his face. He couldn't even begin to fathom what he would do if he were in Nick's position.

During the drive back to his abode was silent, his mind wrapping his head around the very bleak situation. It wasn't something that a person can just easily bounce back from. _Poor Jess._

He unlocked the front door, reveling in the silence of the house. He appraised the untouched wine and scattered tissues on the living room, he continued through the house, wondering how the confrontation between Jess and Cece ended up.

He finally found the pair tightly wrapped in each other in the master's suite. He sat down the middle of the bed and tucked Cece's hair behind her ear, the tear tracks on her face breaking his heart. He just sat there stroking her cheek, knowing how much what happened between Nick and Jess must have affected her. He kissed her forehead, careful not to wake either girl, when he heard the soft gurgling from their daughter's room.

He made sure to stay as silent as he could as he left the room softly shutting the door behind him. He walked the few paces to Claire's room and opened the door, his eyes immediately attacked by the bright sunlight, slightly muted by white gossamer curtains, bouncing off of the pale pink walls.

"Dada!" He could feel a large grin erupt on his face at the excited voice of his daughter.

"Good morning Princess." Schmidt walked towards the crib and bent down, eyeing his daughter, reaching a hand out to smooth down her dark hair. "Look at you. You got yourself up again!"

"Up! Up!" The little girl giggled, letting go off of the side of the crib to reach out towards Schmidt only resulting in her falling back on her butt into the crib.

Schmidt picked up Claire and held her in his arms, not moving from his spot. The bright sunlight hit Claire straight in the face, making her hide into the safety of her father's neck. He softly ran his hand up and down her back, listening to every breath that she took.

Looking down at her sweet face, with Cece's eyes and smile, his eyes began to tear up. He couldn't imagine a world without her. He wouldn't know what to do if anything were to happen to her. A part of him dies at the thought of losing her. He hugged her closer to him whispering, "I love you, Claire."

Claire giggled, placing a small hand at Schmidt's cheek.

"Now let's go get you some breakfast."

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**Once again thank you guys for all of your great reviews. It truly inspires me and motivates me to update quicker. Anything to please you guys. Btw I've dropped a handful of hints here as to what happened, see if you guys can spot them. **

**Comments? Concerns? Reviews?**


	4. Chapter 3

**I believe that a story is more than just what occurs to the protagonist**

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**March 8, 2014**

The loft was filled with laughter as Winston fell off of the couch, knocking over the beer cans on the coffee table. They had just concluded a game of True American and beer cans scattered the floor and almost every surface in the loft as the tenants lay on the couch drunkedly, their eyes glazed with inebriation.

"I think you look beautiful, Winston." Jess mumbled as she toed her obnoxiously pink and fluffy tutu around Winston's waist.

"Hey!" Nick mumbled angrily at Jess's words.

Jess turned towards Nick, narrowly missing headbutting him. "Are you jealous Nicholas Miller?" She giggled as she traced his lips with her fingers. "I promise you're still the most beautifulest!"

"Hear that Nick? You are beautiful!" Schmidt shouted as he raised a beer can in the air, as a salute to Nick.

"Damn right I'm fucking beautiful!" Nick shouted back, standing unsteadily as he raised his hands over his head with triumph. "Suck on that Winston!"

"You guys our floor is so smooth." Schmidt giggled as Winston caressed the hardwood floors.

Jess tugged at Nick's jeans, bringing him falling back into the couch next to her. She closed her eyes and cuddled closer to his side, bringing her halfway up his lap. "You smell good."

Nick's hand wandered towards her ankle and slowly made it's way up her smooth leg, his eyes glazing over more at the smooth sensation beneath his fingers. Jess giggle at the tickling feeling left at his fingers' wake died in her throat when she became aware of something suddenly poking her thigh.

She let out a sound, halfway through a groan and a moan, drawing Schmidt's attention away from the texture of the couch and Winston's attention away from the floor.

"My eyes! It burns!" Schmidt shouted as he scooted further away from the unfazed couple. He tried to cover his eyes with his hand but he found that it was hard to turn his attention away akin to how hard it was to look away from a car crash.

"Woah woah woah! I don't need to see that!" WInston tried to get up in vain to get further away from the floor beneath the two, finding that his legs would not cooperate with him. Empowered by his determination to not see any more than what he already wanted to erase from his brain, he reached his hands out and tried his best with crawling away.

Nick had started to kiss down Jess's neck as his hands came dangerously close to its destination underneath Jess's pleated skirt when a pillow hit the two of them squarely in the face.

"Hey!" The two shouted simultaneously as their intimate bubble burst. Jess's cheeks burned from both embarrassment at their predicament and anger at being disturbed by it.

"Get a room!" Schmidt threw another pillow, this time hitting Nick in the shoulder.

"I've seen too much!" Winston rubbed his eyes, willing the image away.

"When these two leave the house we are definitely continuing what we started." Jess whispered loudly at Nick as they stood up and headed towards her room.

"Mhmmm." Nick whispered as they carefully made their way across the room without knocking something over in their drunken state.

"WE HEARD THAT!" Schmidt and Winston shouted from the living room.

**February 26, 2017**

It was late in the afternoon when Cece rummaged through her purse for her house keys. She opened the door, letting the familiar scent of her home momentarily calm her warring brain. She left her keys on the bowl next to the door making a loud clanking sound alerting the other tenants of the home aware of her presence.

She wondered at where Schmidt and Claire went off to when she heard movement coming from the kitchen. She moved towards the noise and spotted Schmidt with his back to her, busying himself over the ingredients laid out on the counter, and her daughter perched happily on her seat, eating her favorite snack.

"Momma!" Claire squealed happily from her high chair as Cece entered the room.

At his daughter's exclamation Schmidt turned and headed towards his fiancee. His smile dimmed minutely at the signs of worry on her face, too subtle for anyone who doesn't know her as well as he does to notice.

"Hey! You're home. How was lunch with Jess?" Schmidt asked as he wrapped an arm around her waist in a side hug, planting a kiss on her cheek. She gave him a light smile as he let her go and sat at a bar stool, leaning against the cool marble of the kitchen island.

"Okay. Hi baby." Cece cooed as she bent over and blew a raspberry on her daughter's cheek making her giggle in delight. "What did you and daddy do today?"

"It was a pretty lazy day actually. She just played for a bit after you left and...wait you have to see this." Schmidt reached for his phone and showed Cece a picture of Claire sleeping on the soft carpet on the living room surrounded by her toys. She smiled at the peaceful image of their daughter when a thought suddenly struck her.

"You let our daughter sleep on the floor?" Cece bent over Claire so their faces were a few inches apart. "Princess, was daddy not paying attention to you?"

Schmidt scoffed as he stood up and walked back to preparing the dinner. "Of course I was paying attention to her. She was just so tired this afternoon from waking up so early today that she just passed out in the middle of playing. Excuse me for wanting to share our daughter's afternoon with you."

Cece laughed at how easy it was to get to him and took his recently vacated seat next to the happily snacking Claire and turned her attention towards the sulking Schmidt. "I feel like she's not telling me something."

Schmidt realized that Cece was referring to Jess and not their daughter as Cece drifted off to her memory of the afternoon.

Cece arrived at the restaurant first, asking the waiter for a cup of water. She rolled her eyes at the young boy's demeanor and eyes who didn't know whether to look at her face or her cleavage. She glanced towards the front window and saw Jess arriving. Her appearance made Cece falter. There was something off about her that she couldn't place until Jess sat down in front of her. She looked worn. Her eyes had bags under them, her cheeks were sunken, and she seemed to be more of a sickly pale than her usual fair complexion.

"Honey are you sure you're feeling better?" Cece's worried tone didn't go unnoticed by Jess as she reached out and grabbed her best friend's hand. Jess just shrugged and smiled at Cece when the waiter approached their table and handed Cece her water and gave Jess the menu.

The two talked amicably for the remainder of the lunch. Jess was aware that Cece was eyeing her warily throughout the meal but chose not to draw attention to it. Soon their plates were taken away and the two ordered an espresso, forgoing dessert for some time to catch up. Cece tried again and again to consult Jess about her health until she got the hint that Jess obviously didn't want to talk about it with her, the realization sinking deep into her stomach.

Even as she was pulling out of the curb towards home, she couldn't shake the feeling that she should've pursued the topic more persistently.

"I don't know even know." She sighed. Jess rarely ever hid anything from her, and not knowing was making Cece uneasy because it obviously had an effect on her best friend that wasn't exactly positive.

Schmidt stopped working on the chicken parmigiana that he was preparing for dinner with a sigh and furrowed his brows. "What do you mean she's not telling you something? You two tell each other everything. More than you should even." His voice dropped to a whisper at the last few words.

"I heard that. But seriously, Schmidt, is everything okay with her and Nick?" Schmidt turned at the worried tone in Cece's voice and placed the container of breading back on the counter. He washed his hands and went over to her. "I kept asking her but she just dodges the question, she doesn't even bother denying it."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek to try and compose his emotions. He, too, have been noticing some strain between Nick and Jess as of late.

"I know you're worried," He placed his hands on either side of her face, smoothing over the worry lines that have formed on her forehead. "But they'll tell us if something was really wrong. Right now maybe they're just getting used to having more time together than they used to. Believe it or not I think Nick forgot what it was like to not be working, having split his time between business school and the bar."

Cece rested her head on Schmidt's hand, smelling the traces of tomato sauce and cheese on his arms. "I guess. He has gone a long way."

"Anana!" A clatter and the following shout jolted the two out of their bubble. They turned their attention towards the squirming girl who was desperately trying to reach her fallen snack. They laughed at their daughter's antics as Cece picked her up and Schmidt bent down to retrieve the food.

"This reminds me. We need to buy more of these things." Schmidt motioned to the mess on the floor.

Cece bounced their daughter on her knee, making her forget the loss of her favorite snack. "Didn't we just get a more of those the other day? I doubt Claire could finish that in that amount of time." She eyed Schmidt who pointedly looked away.

"I can't help it! It's so good. It's freeze dried yogurt Cece." He mumbled as he threw away the last of his and his daughter's favorite yogurt melt.

"I can't believe your daddy is stealing your baby food." Cece mumbled rubbing her nose against Claire's. "Your. Daddy. Is. Weird."

Claire giggled at each of the kisses that her mother gave her at each word. Schmidt rolled his eyes and smiled at his family before turning back to finish making dinner.

"Dada weird!" Claire exclaimed clapping her hands as Cece burst out in loud raucous laughter, the two girls' happiness ringing melodically around the room.

The sound of Schmidt banging his head repeatedly on the overhead kitchen cabinets keeping beat.

**March 11, 2017**

"Sorry Nick. I told her not to do it." Nick winced as Winston poked at the bruise forming at his cheek. They were all seated in the remnants of Nick and Jess's living room, the early morning sun coming in from the window.

He had cleaned up the mess as best as he could, picking up from where Schmidt left off, hoping that things were at least presentable when Jess came home for the night, having hopefully calmed down. He brought the furniture that were broken beyond repair down to the dumpster and vacuumed the room.

"Damn Schmidt. That girl of yours has a mean right hook." Winston murmured as he handed Nick the ice pack.

A proud smile took over Schmidt's face at Winston's words. "I know right." He chuckled, immediately stopping as soon as Nick threw him a sharp glare.

"So what's your next move?" Winston muttered, getting back to the topic at hand.

"I don't know, man. She didn't even come home last night." Nick winced as the ice made contact with his face.

"We tried to talk her into it, bro. But she wouldn't budge. She's not ready yet." Schmidt said as he opened his beer.

"I mean I kind of see why she isn't." Winston muttered in agreement as he adjusted himself more comfortably on the couch.

"So what am I supposed to do? If she doesn't want to see me how am I going to fix this?" Nick groaned as he let his head fall back to the back of the couch.

"Have you tried calling her?"

"No Winston. I haven't thought of calling her. Because the thought is just so otherworldly." Nick replied in a biting tone.

"Hey you don't need to give me your attitude. I'm just trying to help." Winston defended as he held his hands up in surrender.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do anymore." Nick let his hands fall into the soft cushions of the couch in defeat, the ice pack left to gravity.

"I mean you can't let her know that you've given up." Schmidt looked out the window thoughtfully. "That's pretty much it."

"Yeah, but how am I going to do that?" Nick murmured, his eyes trained to the white ceiling. "I can't push her because then she'll just distance herself from me more, but at the same time if I don't do enough it'll look like I don't care."

Silence filled the apartment as the three men sat deep in thought.

"So did Cece just like come out of nowhere or…" Winston began before Nick straightened up, the ice pack sliding down his face, and punched Winston as hard as he could on the shoulder.

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**I felt that the story needed some lightening up seeing as most of its content is not very cheery.**

**Sorry about that you guys. I took a few days to sit down and make sure that this story is going where it should properly. Also education. Bleh. I'll most likely limit my updates to the weekends and try my best not to let more than a week pass without updating.**

**The receding amount of responses that I'm getting for this story is breaking my heart**

**Comments? Concerns? Reviews?**


	5. Chapter 4

**Wow I suck at promises. But after the chaos from the weekend this is the earliest that I could post it. I apologize for it being shorter than usual but I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. **

**Please pray for the families in the the Philippines who have lost so much during the storm. I got lucky that my family didn't get the brunt of it but some of my friends' families did and it can be quite stressful not knowing how well they are doing from so far away. **

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**April 4, 2015**

The park was quiet outside the pitter patter of rain as it fell on the tin roof above their heads, it's other patrons having hurriedly left the area when the rain began.

Everything appeared to be gray and blue. There were small pools of rain forming beside the empty paths. And each leaf weighed down by the water falling down from the sky, its stem clinging desperately into the tree.

A thin lifeline keeping it from falling into the ground.

The air was cool, drifting between branches and blades of grass, weaving through the sheet of rain, bringing forth the smell of damp soil. Softly caressing the couple's faces.

Nick looked at the girl sitting next to him as they sat in the park, listening to the rain fall over their heads. The two had sought refuge under a roofed picnic area when what seemed to be a light drizzle became a heavy downpour when they were just enjoying a leisurely stroll. Her eyes were calm and a lazy grin lay on her face. Her hair dishevelled from the cool breeze making her cheeks turn a deeper pink. She doesn't think she's ever remembered the park ever looking this clean or peaceful or ever have a cool Saturday morning rain ever felt so warm and comfortable.

"Let's stay here forever." muttered Jess, her voice not going above a faint whisper, scared of breaking the peace.

"Sure. I'll just quit my job and drop out of business school. We can both claim this as our table and just be hobos." Nick could see the wonder in his girlfriend's eyes and decided to humor her in her little fantasy. He turned his head and nuzzled his cheek against hers.

"I think that'll be just perfect. We'll never ever leave. We'll grow old here screaming at children and even when we die and then our skeletons will remain here on this bench." Jess closed her eyes at the combined feeling of Nick's hot breath and the cool wind against her face.

"What are we going to get food?" Nick chuckled into Jess's hair.

"I'm sure the others would give us some food. Or we can perform for it. I can sing or tap dance." Jess shoved an elbow into Nick's side for poking holes on her little fantasy.

"Okay but what about showers? What are we going to do for that?" Nick winced as he massaged the spot where Jess elbowed him.

"We'll grow old stinky?" Jess answered weakly.

"Fine you win." Jess conceded grumpily as she elbowed Nick one more time.

Nick grunted at the contact but allowed the silence to overcome them again. This was proving itself to becoming one of the most peaceful afternoons that two has ever spent together. Comfortable silence blanketed them, the rain bringing forth a different kind of calm from any that the two has previously experienced. Nick moved to sit on the table, avoiding more elbow jabbing, his legs going on either sides of Jess who stayed, content, on the bench.

She rested her head on Nick's thigh and let out a soft sigh when he started to run his fingers through her hair, calming her more. He reveled at the soft strands that were weaving through his fingers. It was a rare moment when both didn't feel the need to talk or argue, contented with the peace that developed between them.

Nick gazed adoringly at the girl resting her head on his lap. Her blue eyes wide with wonder at the peaceful sight, while his just in wonder that he could have managed to get his hands on a chance to be with someone like her.

**February 27, 2017**

Nick sat quietly as he gazed at Jess's sleeping form. Her forehead was creased with worry, stressed even in her sleep. He ran a finger on the apple of her cheek, noticing the slight sullenness in her appearance. He wanted so badly to know what was going on in her head at the very moment and what has been bothering her for the past few days.

He was aware that he has been gone more so than usual but through the spare moments that he manages to steal from his busy schedule it hasn't escaped his notice that Jess seemed less than herself.

Their easy banter between each other had diminished and Nick couldn't pinpoint the exact time as to when that happened. He wanted to pick it back up again or even just start off with some easy conversation but try as he might, she wouldn't talk to him. Nothing outside casual pleasantries and simple questions. It's gotten to the point where he didn't know what to say to her and it unnerved him.

It had never been this way between them before. They always managed to communicate well, even if it was just arguing it was at least getting through the point. He has never had to deal with the whole silent treatment from Jess. She was too outgoing and determined to keep her thoughts to herself and it worked so well between the two of them because he was an introvert through and through.

Before today he didn't think it was possible to miss somebody that lay in bed with him every night.

"What do you want me to do Jess?" He whispered, not wanting to wake her.

**March 2, 2017**

Winston frowned at Nick bent over a pile of paperwork. Of all the years he's known Nick he's never seen him this absorbed in what he was doing. Not with his schoolwork growing up, not with his book, not even when studying for his LSATs.

He could tell from the disarray in Nick's hair and the dark circles around his eyes that he did not get enough sleep the night prior.

He never thought, in his lifetime, that he would ever see Nick look overworked.

"You should take a breather Nick. I don't think you've stopped working ever since you got promoted." Winston muttered slowly.

"I'm just trying to get used to it Winston. There's so many things to do. It won't stop coming." Nick grumbled, throwing Winston a sharp look. "You think I want to work this much?"

"Dude you spend so much time with your desk that I'd think that you were having an affair with it." Winston backtracked, hoping to bring a lighter note to the conversation.

"God don't go there Winston. I already get enough of that from Jess." Nick's grip on his pen tightened, making his signature on the paycheck seem shaky.

"Have you even spent any time with Jess lately?" Winston knew that this conversation was heading down a dangerous road but he couldn't help but ask. From what he's seen of Jess lately and the immense worry Cece and Schmidt expressed concerning the couple he knew that things were not okay.

Nick stood up abruptly and threw the pen at the wall next to him, his eyes strained and angry.

"I've been working Winston. I've been working so I support the both of us. So I can support her! I work for her! I did this all for her! And all of you are acting as if I want to be away from her. That I'm having the time of my life holed up in this place having to deal with every single thing going wrong." Nick's voice had risen until he was shouting, his voice echoing bouncing back from the walls. "I'm doing this so I can begin to be the man that she deserves! The man that can take care of her and give her everything she deserves. So don't fucking even go there Winston."

Silence fell in the room. Winston's eyes wide with shock and a hint of fear while Nick fell back into his chair, his head falling into his hands.

"I'm sorry…" Nick started but was cut off by Winston.

"No, man. I'm sorry. I just...didn't know." Winston whispered as he eyed his friend warily.

"I'm trying. I just don't know what to do." Nick kept his eyes focused on the papers strewn on his desk, not entirely comfortable with showing his vulnerability.

**March 12, 2017**

Jess touched the soft petals of the rose. A faint smile glimmered on her face.

The arrangement came to her possession via Schmidt along with the note that lay dormant on the coffee table. She didn't know exactly what to do with it. She was thankful that he wasn't pushing her to talk to him and make amends because she honestly didn't know if she was ready for that yet.

"Are you okay Jess?" Cece wrapped an arm around her best friend as she laid her head on her shoulder.

"I don't know, Cece." Jess sighed. Thoughts swirled in her head, did she really want to end things with Nick? Deep inside her she knew that she was still deeply in love with him, it's a possibility that she probably always will. But at the same time she didn't think that she would be able to stand the thought of being alone like that again.

"You don't need to decide now Jess." Cece kissed the top of Jess's head, knowing full well that she was probably going a mile a minute with her thoughts.

"I know that, but I can't just keep dragging this on forever. I'll have to face him eventually." Jess sighed as she picked up one of the roses from the bouquet.

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**As important as the content from these past chapters are it's all really just a prequel. The story has just yet to begin.**


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